Washington (CNN)South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham had a fairly cutting assessment Friday for why Ben Carson is doing so well in polls and other Republicans are doing so poorly.

"He's a lovely man, he's a great doctor. And everybody else thinks we suck," Graham said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Friday. "So that's all, I don't know what to tell you. I mean, I can't understand what he's saying half the time. You know, he's a brilliant guy, but I don't think he has a clue about what's going on in the Middle East. So what can I tell you?"

Graham, who has been trailing at the back of the Republican field since he entered the race, also offered a blunt assessment of his own chances. If he does poorly in New Hampshire, he said, he might not make it to his own, home state primary.

"If I do well in New Hampshire, I'll win South Carolina. If I don't do well in New Hampshire, I'll have to reevaluate," Graham said.